Open University of Israel (OU)

In 1971 Yad Hanadiv invited a commission of experts to Israel to examine the establishment of an Open University based on international models. In August 1973 the Government adopted the commission's recommendations and Yad Hanadiv undertook the responsibility of establishing and financing the University for the first five years. The OU opened its doors in 1976 and today it has an enrolment of 40,000 students. Students are not required to take entrance exams and are accepted unconditionally, but they are expected to maintain uncompromising academic standards in their studies. The unique teaching methods of the Open University enable students to study at a time and a place which are convenient for them - thereby allowing them to earn their degrees at a pace which is in keeping with commitments to families and employment.

Yad Hanadiv provided support for construction of The Dorothy de Rothschild Ra'anana Campus inaugurated in 2004. In addition, the Foundation has helped to fund numerous OU initiatives, including the Centre for Information Technology in Distance Education (Shoham) and translation of texts and course materials into Arabic. Recently, the Open University inaugurated its Peer Open Books project with the support and encouragement of Yad Hanadiv - a pioneering effort to make course material available on the Internet, without charge.